CHAPTER 127: KISS OF BETRAYAL

In the past couple of years, while Auren struggled with his mana limitations caused by the slumbering phoenix egg inside his mental space, he had been forced to adapt.

He could not rely on magic like others, not when every attempt drained him too quickly. That struggle had led him down a path of invention, of forging a way to fight without leaning on the very power that chained him.

His first designs had been failures. They were too mana-dependent, essentially extensions of his own flaw.

The bullets he imagined relied entirely on concentrated mana, and while the idea looked brilliant on paper, reality had slapped him with bitter disappointment.

Those weapons were unusable. So, with stubborn determination, Auren turned toward earthly designs, weapons that fired real bullets.

But settling for ordinary was never in his nature.

If he was going to wield firearms, they would be anything but simple. Instead of standard steel, he used Runesteel, a rare alloy renowned for its hardness and natural mana amplification.

To this, he fused shards of Arcanestone, which not only stored mana but released explosive force upon impact.

The result was ammunition unlike anything the world had seen, bullets designed not just to pierce but to devastate.

And he had not stopped there.

His old prototypes resembled revolvers, limited and clunky. Now, after months of tinkering, testing, and long nights of failure, he had created the MK version two, a weapon that resembled a full-sized Uzi.

It carried a detachable magazine with forty rounds, each one imbued with his carefully forged bullets. He had even refined the design with the help of elven blacksmiths. Though wary of outsiders, they had grown to respect Auren’s insights.

He understood runes and mechanisms in a way that surprised even the most seasoned craftsmen, and in return for his ideas, they had offered him their skill and precision.

Every bullet had been shaped to maximize penetration, a perfect marriage of magic and mechanics. And now, two of those MK-Uzis rested firmly in his hands.

He leveled them at Aurelus’s face.

Knowing that even the faintest graze from Aurelus’s colossal sword could end his life, Auren kept his distance. It was the only way he could survive against the so-called Ruthless King.

BABABAANG!

The air cracked and thundered with gunfire. Muzzle flashes streaked like lightning, illuminating the battlefield in rapid bursts. Bullets tore through the air, shredding at Aurelus’s fiery wings, once thought to be impenetrable.

The king’s eyes widened. His expression twisted with disbelief as he muttered, almost to himself, "What interesting artifacts this knight is using..."

But disbelief gave way to pain. Round after round chipped away at his flaming armor, tearing through embers, breaking through his defenses, and biting into his flesh.

"Not good..." Aurelus hissed when bullets punctured his arm and stomach, forcing his steps back.

He retaliated instantly, swinging his massive blade in wide arcs. But Auren was faster. He ducked under the swipes, rolled over uneven ground, and pressed the triggers, filling the air with another ruthless volley.

The Ruthless King’s body was sturdy, his phoenix blood alive with burning vitality. Each wound began to stitch itself shut even as the bullets lodged within. Auren’s eyes narrowed, his lips pressed tight in frustration.

"Damn it, feels like I’m back in that cursed forest," he thought as he barely avoided a downward strike that would have cut him clean in half.

BOOOM!

The ground shook as the blade carved through stone. Dust exploded upward. Before the debris could settle, Aurelus lunged again, merciless and relentless.

BABABANG!

The firefight continued, a storm of sound and destruction. Auren’s Tiger Focus sharpened his senses, slowing the world into narrow windows of survival. He reacted by instinct, squeezing through gaps of death with hair’s breadth precision.

SLASH!BANG!

Their clash tore the battlefield apart. Trees splintered and fell in heaps. Boulders shattered into gravel. Spent bullet shells rained to the ground, tinkling across rock and dirt.

"Ughk!""Ahk!"

Both men grunted with effort, flesh and spirit tested at their limits.

Sometimes, in fleeting openings, Auren turned his aim toward the sidelines, firing at the sneering Dark Fate members who watched like vultures. A few were clipped, their jeers replaced with panicked screams. But none dared to interfere. Aurelus’s temper was more terrifying than stray bullets.

"HAH!"

SLA-BOOOOM!

Each swing of Aurelus’s sword ripped craters into the earth. The battlefield became a wasteland of carved trenches and torn ground.

Auren darted across it like a shadow, springing from boulders, sliding beneath shockwaves, and firing whenever he caught the slimmest chance.

Ten minutes. That was all it took for exhaustion to crawl over him like a suffocating fog.

His arms trembled, his legs burned, and every breath tore at his chest. His vision blurred, blood seeping from the corners of his eyes, a cost of keeping Tiger Focus active.

Aurelus, however, looked elated. His lips curved into an ecstatic grin, as if the battle itself was ecstasy. His swings never slowed, his energy unbroken.

"I’m running out of magazines," Auren thought bitterly, his stomach twisting. "I need space to drink a potion, but this bastard won’t even give me a second."

The Ruthless King’s sharp gaze caught everything.

He noticed Auren’s faltering steps, his fading rhythm.

"Finally," Aurelus whispered.

POW!

A feint slash transformed into a brutal kick.

It slammed into Auren’s side, his ribs screaming as his defense shattered.

His body skidded across the battlefield, crashing through dirt and stone.

"Finally reaching your limit, young man?"

Aurelus spread his wings wide. Where bullet holes had once marred his flesh, now there was nothing. The phoenix blood had healed him completely.

Auren spat blood, glaring at the unnatural recovery.

"This bastard heals like Wolverine. If I want to win, I need a different approach... Fortunately, I prepared for it."

Despite his pain, his lips curved into a crooked grin.

Determination sparked in his weary eyes.

"Limit? Ha! In your dreams! As long as I’ve got rejuvenation potions, I can fight you until your ugly face turns old!"

With a flick of his wrist, he conjured a small glass bottle filled with dark purple liquid. He popped the cap with his thumb, raising it toward his lips.

Aurelus’s grin sharpened.

"So, you have rejuvenation potions, huh... in that case..."

He vanished. In less than a heartbeat, he reappeared before Auren, his blade already descending for his hand holding the potion.

Auren’s instincts flared.

He released the bottle instantly and propelled himself back with his MJ boots.

The potion, however, fell neatly into Aurelus’s hand. Triumph gleamed in his eyes as he raised it high and swallowed it in a single gulp without even checking its divine frame.

But then his expression changed.

His smirk twitched. His brows furrowed.

"Bitter..." His face scrunched, confusion flashing in his eyes. "No... this tastes like..."

His pupils dilated. "Poop!?"

A flickering description frame appeared before him:

*

Name: High-Grade Black Hell Poison PotionPotency: 97%Description: Crafted from Northern Black Toad poison, Arumbra Root extract, Purple False Eye dung, Moon Poison Beetle, and Heart Stopper Rose. This lethal concoction corrodes cells and mana from within, attacking the lungs, liver, eyes, and heart. Paralysis sets in within seconds, gravely hindering healing abilities. Attributes reduced by up to 50%, movement slowed by up to 75%. Effects vary depending on elemental resistance.

*

The bottle slipped from his hand and shattered on the ground.

"H-how foolish... how could I fall for that?"

The phoenix blood inside him fought back, desperately resisting, but it was a losing battle. Anyone else would have been dead within moments.

His reddish eyes shot up, and there was Auren, grinning like a devil, hefting a massive bazooka already aimed at his chest.

’shit.’

Aurelus tried to move, but the poison gnawed at him, dulling his reflexes and weakening his mana.

"YOU BASTARD!"

"Gotcha."

Auren aimed at his head.

ZZZT-KABOOOOM!

The explosive round slammed into Aurelus’s protective wings, shattering it.

"AGHHHH!"

He screamed, staggering. His wings convulsed in fiery ruin.

ZZZT-KABOOOOM!

Another shot. Another wing ripped apart. His cries echoed like a beast being butchered. His defenses crumbled with each blast.

"Too slow now," Auren muttered, his tone laced with grim satisfaction.

ZZZT-KABOOOOM!

But before the shell could strike, the earth itself erupted.

CRASH!

A colossal wall rose from the ground, five meters thick, swallowing the explosion in a cloud of dust and shattered stone.

"What in the-" Auren’s words choked in his throat.

On top of the wall stood a figure, her silhouette framed by swirling dust.

The figure raised a staff.

[EARTH HOLD]

The ground beneath Auren split open like a maw, clamping around his legs.

He gasped, struggling, but the earth held firm.

"W-why?" His eyes widened, disbelief hollowing his voice.

Even Robert, watching from a distance, froze. His lips trembled as he whispered a name that tasted like heartbreak.

"M-Marissa?"

The figure descended gracefully, landing beside Aurelus. The dust cleared, revealing her beautiful but cold face. Calm. Unwavering.

It was her.

Marissa, the woman Robert once called wife, the woman who had raised Auren with warmth and laughter back in Runewood for how many years.

"What are you doing!?" Robert beckoned, standing up despite his bloody injuries.

But her expression held no hesitation.

She placed a hand on Aurelus’s chest, a healing spell flaring. The poison drained from his veins, his body strengthening before their very eyes.

[FLOW OF HEALING WIND]

SHHH~

The Ruthless King straightened, his lips curling into a smirk. He turned to Marissa, grasped her chin, and pressed his lips to hers.

"Well done,"